


Back to the Danger

by henryhart



Category: Henry Danger (TV)
Genre: Minor Violence, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-04-18 13:04:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14213772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/henryhart/pseuds/henryhart
Summary: This is pretty much what would've happened in Back to the Danger Part 2 if Ray and Henry had been unable to stop Drex. Ray has lost his invulnerability and the timeline is changing. What happens to the gang if Ray and Henry never become superheroes? Do they ever get their old lives back? Read on to find out...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, the inconsistency related to time travel in Back to the Danger bugged me so much that I literally had to write my own alternative ending, which pretty much means I picked up right in the middle of the action of Back to the Danger. This takes places right before Henry and Ray were transported back to 2018 (or whatever year present day is in Swellview) the first time. I changed the scene a little bit because honestly I was too lazy to copy exactly what was shown in the episode lol. I also really wanted to explore what would’ve happened had Ray lost his invulnerability and had never become a superhero. This is only gonna be a really short series (like maybe 2 or 3 chapters max), but I still hope you guys enjoy it. Let me know what you think!  
> Also, I sincerely apologize in advance for what I have done to our beloved characters. Please forgive me.

Ray and Henry braced themselves for Drex’s raygun blast. The year was 1989, and Ray and Henry had gone back in time to stop their long-time enemy Drex from preventing a younger Ray from being desensitized and instead becoming indestructible himself, but they were too late. Drex had become desensitized and had destroyed the machine before the younger Ray was able to go through it, causing future Ray to lose his invulnerability. Because of this, Ray and Henry had lost their battle with Drex, and now they were waiting for Drex to blast them with a raygun, erasing them entirely from existence. This was it for them.

Suddenly, a flash of a bright blue light enveloped around them and within seconds they were standing back in the Man Cave with Jasper, Charlotte, and Schwoz looking on excitedly. They had been transported back to the present day. They all let out various cheers of excitement and exchanged hugs all around. 

“Did you find Drex?” Charlotte asked. 

“What happened?” Schwoz said. The atmosphere in the Man Cave shifted from excitement to somber and Henry and Ray exchanged solemn glances. 

“We failed,” Henry said quietly. Ray let out a sigh of defeat. 

“Drex went through the desensitizer and destroyed it before I was able to go through it. Hence the broken arm.” Ray said, and he raised his injured arm slightly to show everyone. Jasper, Charlotte, and Schwoz traded worried looks. The room was silent for a moment.

“So, now what?” Jasper asked. Ray began to pace the floor in thought. 

“Well, we could-” he started, but he was stopped short as the floor had begun to shake. 

“Wait, what’s happening?” Henry asked. All of the sudden, the entire Man Cave began to shake, as if they were experiencing an earthquake. Schwoz’s face drained and his eyes widened. 

“The timeline, it’s changing!” he shouted. 

“What? What does that mean?!” Charlotte demanded. 

“The timeline! Ray was never desensitized which means he never became a superhero! None of this exists! It takes a little while for the timeline to change from an event like that, but it seems like it has caught up.” he explained. The shaking got more intense, and the Man Cave began to come apart. 

“Well, what do we do?” Henry exclaimed, but before anyone was able to answer, there was a flash of white light and everything went dark.

* * *

  
  


Henry awoke suddenly in a pool of sweat. He was laying in his bed with a slight headache.  He had the faintest feeling that he had just woken up from a nightmare, but he couldn’t remember what it was or what had happened. He looked over at the clock on his bedside table and groaned. It read 7:28 a.m., which meant it was time for Henry to get up and get ready for another boring day at school. 

“ _Why can’t anything interesting ever happen to me?_ ” he thought to himself. After a few moments, he dragged himself out of bed and got dressed before making his way downstairs. The rest of his family was already at the table eating breakfast. They had the news on in the background, and the news anchor was discussing something about the alarmingly high crime rate in Swellview. 

_ “The powerful crime boss known only by the name of Drex is still at large. Police have been unable to apprehend him for decades, and his band of criminals including such criminals as the Time Jerker and Dr. MInyak continue their reign of terror over the city of Swellview…” _

“Good morning, honey!” Siren Hart said cheerfully to Henry as he sat down. 

“Morning, mom,” he replied. Henry yawned as he reached for the orange juice sitting in the middle of the table. Jake Hart was busy reading the newspaper and picking at his breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast, while Henry’s little sister, Piper had her nose stuck in her phone while she ate her cereal. Henry finished pouring himself a glass of orange juice and reached for a piece of toast when his father set down his newspaper and looked at Henry. 

“Henry, we need to talk,” he said seriously. Henry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

“ _Here we go. Another, ‘you need to figure out a plan for your life’ speech._ ”  he thought himself.

“Yes, dad?” he replied. 

“Henry, your senior year is coming up really soon, and you still haven’t even begun to look at colleges yet. You need to start trying to figure out what you want to do and where you want to go. You can’t let these things go until the last minute.” Jake said. Henry let out an annoyed sigh. 

“Yes, I know, but-” he started, but his father cut him off. 

“Your mother and I have been very patient with you, but you’ve really been slipping lately. Your grades are dropping, you stopped looking for a job, you don’t even seem concerned with college…”

“What’s the point? It’s not like I’m really good at anything anyway.” Henry thought. 

“We’re just...we’re concerned for you, son.” Jake finished. Henry stood up from the table. 

“I have to go, I’m going to be late,” he mumbled, and he grabbed his backpack and headed out the door. 

 

* * *

 

When Henry arrived at school, he made his way to his locker and started getting things out for his first class. 

“Come on you stupid thing!” he heard someone say. He looked over to see Charlotte Bolton struggling to get her locker to open. He finished getting things out of his locker before closing it and going over to her. 

“Need some help?” he asked. Charlotte turned to him and gave him a small smile. 

“Uh, yeah. Please,” she said softly. There was an awkward tension in the air between them. They had been close friends in middle school, almost inseparable, but when high school rolled around Charlotte started doing more after-school activities, like STEM club and LIMP, and they didn’t have as much time to spend together anymore. Henry had eventually stopped returning her phone calls and breaking their plans so often that they ended up drifting apart, and only really spoke to each other in passing. Truth be told, Charlotte was excelling as she always had and Henry didn’t want to be the one to drag her down. 

He jiggled the handle for a moment before finally being able to pry it open. 

“Thank you!” Charlotte said, clearly relieved. 

“No problem,” Henry replied, and he started towards his next class. Charlotte opened her mouth to say something, but after thinking it over for a moment decided against it.

As Henry made his way to class he looked up to see Mitch Bilsky currently picking on his latest victim, which was none other than Henry’s old friend Jasper Dunlop. He let out an exasperated sigh. Mitch had made it his personal mission to make Jasper’s life a living hell. Mitch was currently taunting him over his latest edition to his bucket collection and threatening to fight him. Henry thought about just ignoring the confrontation altogether, because “ _what can he do?_ ”, but something deep down inside of him told him to stand up for his friend. 

“Hey, Mitch!” he called out. Mitch stopped ridiculing Jasper and turned towards Henry, giving him a wicked glare. 

“What do you want, Hart?” he asked menacingly. 

“I want you to leave Jasper and everyone else in this hallway alone.” he shot back. Mitch started to approach Henry, bawling his hands up into fists.

“And what if I don’t?” he challenged. Henry threw his backpack down and stood his ground.

“Well, then you’re going to have to go through me,” Henry said. A sinister smirk spread across Mitch’s lips and he got uncomfortably close to Henry. He grabbed Henry by the shirt collar and started to lift him off the ground. 

“Fine with me,” he said. 

“Hey! What’s going on out here?!” Ms. Shapen yelled from the doorway of her classroom. Mitch quickly let go of Henry. 

“Nothing, Ms. Shapen. Henry and I were just having a friendly chat.” Mitch answered. Ms. Shapen shot them both an angry look before returning to her classroom. Mitch had decided then and there that it was too risky to try to start a fight in the school hallway.

“Alright, Hart. Meet me after school tomorrow in the parking lot behind the gym. Unless you’re too scared!” he jeered. 

“Whatever, I’ll be there,” Henry replied. Mitch glared at Henry as he started off in the opposite direction. Henry reached down to pick up his backpack and as he stood back up, his gaze met Jasper’s. Jasper smiled softly at him. 

“Thanks for that. But, you didn’t have to do that,” he said. Henry smiled back.

“It’s no problem. I’m getting really tired of Mitch.”

“Yeah, but now he’s gonna kill you,” Jasper said, sounding concerned.

“I’ll be fine. I can handle him.” 

Henry and Jasper both knew deep down that that was a lie, but neither of them said anything. They stood there in silence for a moment. Things had been a little awkward between Henry and Jasper as well, as they both had started to drift apart just as Henry and Charlotte had. 

“So, uh, I better get class,” Henry said finally. Jasper nodded. 

“Oh, yeah. Me too. I guess I’ll see you around then.” Jasper replied. 

“Yeah. Later.” Henry said and he started off towards his class once again. Jasper let out a small sigh before making his way to his own class. 

* * *

  
  


The rest of the day had gone by rather quickly for Henry. Besides the events in the morning, nothing really interesting happened. Henry went to his classes as usual and made his way home as usual. Same old, same old. 

As soon as he got home, he threw his backpack down on the floor and made his way up to his room. He threw himself down on the bed and turned on some music. He stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. He had just started to drift off when a flash of white light went off in the middle of his room. He bolted upright and stared at the light, frozen in fear. As his eyes adjusted, he noticed that the light began to look like a doorway, and a few moments later a woman in a polyester black suit stepped out. She pressed a button on her watch and just as quickly as the portal had opened up, it vanished. 

“Henry Hart, you need to come with me,” she said. Henry stared at her, wide-eyed. 

“Who are you?! And for what?” he asked. 

“Because...we need to fix the timeline.” 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here is part 2 of my back to the danger fic! In this part, you’ll find out a little bit more about the mystery woman that showed up in the last chapter. If you guys have ever seen Legends of Tomorrow or if you’re a fan of DC Comics than you’ll probably recognize some of the terminology and concepts used in this chapter. I’ve been bingeing Legends lately and I really like their way of doing things with time and time travel so I kind of incorporated some of their ideas. Also, you guys will find out what happened with Ray and Schwoz in this new timeline in this chapter. This chapter feels kind of rushed to me, but I didn’t want to write so much that it seemed like I was dragging things out. Plus I promised myself that I was gonna keep it a short series, and there were certain points that I absolutely wanted to write. I hope you guys enjoy it regardless and please leave me feedback and let me know what you think!

“Henry Hart, you need to come with me.”

  
A woman in a polyester black suit with long, straight black hair and piercing green eyes had just opened a portal into Henry’s bedroom. 

“Who are you?! And for what?” he asked. 

“Because...we need to fix the timeline. Now come on, let’s go.” 

She started to approach him. Henry scrambled to his feet and backed away from her. 

“No, not until you tell me who you are first!” he declared. She gave him an annoyed look but obliged. 

“My name is Veronica, and I’m a Time Master. Now can we go?” 

She turned back around to where the portal had just been and started pressing buttons on her watch. 

“Time Master? What the hell is a Time Master? And where are we going? What in the world is going on?” Henry blurted out. Veronica spun around to face him once more. 

“I’ll explain everything along the way. But, for now, you must come with me.” 

Henry’s head was spinning. Maybe he was dreaming? Yes, this definitely had to be a dream. He remembered laying on his bed beginning to nod off so that must have been what had happened. He pinched the back of his hand. 

“ _Ow! Okay, definitely not a dream._ ” he thought to himself. Veronica had gone back to pushing buttons on her watch once more and after a few seconds a portal opened up in his room again. 

“Okay, let’s go,” she announced. 

“Wait! You still haven’t told me where we’re going,” Henry replied. 

“To go get Ray,” she said. She reached for his forearm and started to pull him towards the portal.

“Wait, who is Ray?” he inquired. 

“Your boss.” 

“I don’t have a boss. I don’t even have a job!” 

Before he could say anything more, she pulled him through the portal. Moments later they were standing outside of an office building in downtown Swellview. Henry looked up at the sign on the top of the building.

“Schwartz Industries? Why are we at Schwartz Industries?” Henry asked. Veronica pushed some buttons on her watch and the portal disappeared once again. 

“I told you; we’re picking up your boss,” Veronica answered. 

“Next you’re gonna try to tell me that my boss is the famous inventor, founder, and CEO of Schwartz Industries, Schwoz Schwartz. Aren’t you?” Henry said sarcastically. Veronica ignored his sarcasm. 

“No,” she stated matter-of-factly, “It’s his personal assistant, Ray Manchester.” 

Henry threw his hands up, exasperated. 

“Of course. That makes total sense!” he shot back. “Listen, lady, I don’t know who you think I am or what is going on, but you clearly have the wrong person. I’ve never had a boss and I don’t even know anyone by the name of Ray! And I definitely don’t know anyone that works at Schwartz Industries!” 

She turned to face him, now obviously getting irritated. 

“In _this_ timeline you don’t.”

Henry pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“This isn’t the right timeline. This is what I’ve been trying to say to you! We need to get Ray so we can go back and change the timeline back to the way it was. I’m a Time Master and that’s my JOB. Now, let’s! Go!” she asserted, and she grabbed him by the arm once more and dragged him through the office building’s double doors. 

“So, if we’re going to pick up my old boss, who happens to be the personal assistant of one of the most powerful men in Swellview, how exactly do you propose we get past security?” he asked smugly. She ignored his question and continued to pull him through the lobby of the building, making her way towards the metal detectors positioned in front of the elevators. A security guard was standing beside them. As they got closer, Veronica pulled a small handheld device out of her pocket. As they approached, the security guard held up a hand in order to stop them. 

“Excuse ma'am, but you need to have a badge in order to-”

She held the device up to his face and pressed a button. A quick flash went off, and he stopped what he was saying, a dumbfounded look now plastered across his face. Veronica continued to pull Henry through the metal detectors, the guard now staring off into space completely ignoring them.

“Whoa, what was that?” Henry asked, now entirely intrigued. Veronica pushed the button to go up on the elevators and let go of Henry’s arm. 

“A memory eraser. It only erases a few minutes, but it allows us Time Masters to go about our business undetected,” she answered. The elevator doors opened and Veronica stepped inside, with Henry following immediately after her. She pushed the button for the top floor. Veronica began straightening her suit and Henry crossed his arms over his chest. 

“So, after we pick up this Ray guy what is the plan from there?” Henry interrogated. 

“Then I’m going to take you both back to the Time Masters’ headquarters and we’re going to figure out a way to fix this mess.” 

“Ah. That sounds logical,” Henry mumbled to himself. They reached their designated floor and the elevators doors slid open. Veronica swiftly started down the long hallway in front of them, and Henry followed behind her. At the end of the long hall, there was a lone desk sitting outside of an office door with a burly man wearing a business suit and a headset sitting behind it. He had perfectly-in-place dark brown, almost black, hair. He looked up and smiled at Veronica and Henry as they approached. 

“Hi, do you have an appointment with Mr. Schwartz this afternoon?” he asked. 

“Ray Manchester?” Veronica said. The man’s smile immediately faded. 

“Yes?” he replied, now slightly confused. 

“You need to come with us.”

* * *

 

The day had started just like any other day for Ray Manchester. He woke up at exactly 6:00 a.m. He took a shower, brushed his teeth and got dressed for work, just like he did every morning. He made his way downstairs to the kitchen and immediately started making a pot of coffee. His wife, Aurora, entered the kitchen moments later and gave him a sleepy smile. 

“Good morning, dear,” she said in between a yawn. 

“Good morning. How is our little one today?” he asked, as he looked down at her ever-growing belly. She smiled at him. 

“We’re both good,” she answered. She made her way over to him and placed a small kiss on his lips before making her way over to the fridge.

“Can I make you something for breakfast?” 

“No, thank you, darling. I have to get to work early this morning. Mr. Schwartz has an early meeting and if I don’t get his coffee to him before that meeting starts you know how grumpy he’ll get,” he responded. 

She gave him a sympathetic smile. 

“Alright, dear. Have a good day today, then,” she said. He gave her a smile in return. He poured himself some coffee into a to-go cup before grabbing his keys off of the kitchen counter and heading out the door.

* * *

Ray arrived at work shortly after with a coffee in hand from the coffee shop down the street for Schwoz. He made his way through the lobby before flashing his badge at the security guard and starting up the elevator. The doors to the elevator slid open at his destination on the 13th floor, and Ray made his way down the long hallway to his desk. He had barely arrived when he heard footsteps approaching. He sat down at his desk and held out the coffee for Schwoz to grab as he walked by. 

“Good morning, Mr. Schwartz,” Ray said without looking up from his desk. Schwoz grabbed the coffee out his hand without stopping or even glancing at Ray. 

“Morning,” he replied before entering his office and immediately shutting the door behind him. Ray let out a heavy sigh. He didn’t particularly enjoy working at this job, but there wasn’t much else for him. He didn’t really have any notable skill sets (or skill sets that could be used in lucrative jobs anyway). He had planned on working for his dad at Glass Tech, but after his father’s desensitizer machine was destroyed when Ray was just a kid, the company began to go under. Schwartz Industries eventually decided to take over the company, and Ray ended up as Schwoz’s personal assistant. It wasn’t exactly Ray’s dream job, but Schwoz was a nice enough boss for the most part (albeit demanding) and the job made it so that Ray would be able to help support his soon-to-be son.   
Yeah, this job wasn’t really all that bad at all. But, still, Ray couldn’t help this gnawing feeling he would get every once in a while, telling him that he was meant for something greater than this.

* * *

 

Ray’s day went by just as it did every other day. He ran a few errands for Schwoz, answered phone calls, played some games on the computer when he would get bored, filed some papers, took a few Buzzfeed quizzes; that was until a woman in a polyester black suit, and tall blonde kid in a red flannel shirt approached his desk late that afternoon. He smiled up at them as they approached. 

“Hi, do you have an appointment with Mr. Schwartz this afternoon?” Ray asked.   
  
“Ray Manchester?” the woman said. Ray’s smile immediately faded. 

“Yes?” he replied, now slightly confused. 

“You need to come with us.” 

Ray stood up slowly from his desk.

“I’m sorry? Who are you?” he inquired. 

“Good luck getting her to answer any of your questions,” the blonde boy said. “Hi, I’m Henry.” He smiled at Ray and reached out his hand for Ray to shake. 

“Ray,” Ray responded. He shook the boy’s hand quickly before returning his gaze to the woman.

“My name is Veronica. I’m a Time Master. You need to come with me immediately.” 

Ray furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. 

“Listen, I don’t know what’s going on, but I think you have the wrong guy,” Ray replied. Veronica started pushing buttons on her watch again.

“Oh, here we go,” Henry said. Ray looked from the woman to Henry and back again.

“Seriously, what is going on?” he asked again. 

“We need to fix the timeline,” Veronica said without looking up from her watch. Suddenly, a portal opened up in the middle of the hallway. Ray’s eyes widened in disbelief. 

“What?! What the hell is that?” he exclaimed. Henry merely shrugged and Veronica ignored his question. She grabbed both Ray and Henry’s arms. Ray tried to resist but before he knew what was happening, Veronica had pulled them both through the portal.

* * *

 “So, let me get this straight...you’re saying that in another timeline, the ‘correct’ timeline, Henry and I are both superheroes that work together as a team in order to protect the good citizens of Swellview?” Ray asked in disbelief. 

“That is correct,” Veronica answered. 

Henry, Veronica, and Ray were currently occupying a dimly lit room in someplace she referred to as “the Time Masters’ headquarters.” There was a round white table in the middle of the room with chairs all around it, and a huge, futuristic-looking computer type screen took up one of the walls. Henry was sitting in one of the chairs with his arms folded on the table in front of him, while Veronica stood up straight in front of the wall with the futuristic-looking computer screen. Ray crossed his arms in front of his chest and began to pace around the room. 

“Okay, can you just...clarify for me one more time; who are you? And what is this place?” Henry asked. Veronica let out an exasperated sigh before continuing. 

“I’m a Time Master. We’re a league of highly-trained individuals whose sole purpose is to protect and restore the timeline. We’re at the Time Masters’ headquarters which is a place that exists outside of time. Drex changed the timeline when he went back in time and prevented Ray from becoming invulnerable thus making it so that Ray never became a superhero. It is my job to restore the timeline to the way it was before,” Veronica explained. 

“Okay, but how can we even believe you? I mean, how we can we even be sure that this timeline you’re talking about even exists?” Ray questioned. 

“I’ll show you,” Veronica replied, and she pushed a button on her watch. The computer-looking screen immediately changed and several different videos started to play on all corners of the screen. The biggest one in the middle showed what looked like Henry and Ray in superhero outfits fighting off a villain known in Swellview as Dr. Minyak. Other parts of the screen showed Henry and Ray hanging out in what looked like an underground bunker or lab of some sort, with Henry’s two former friends Jasper and Charlotte, and Ray’s boss Schwoz. Ray stared at the screen in disbelief. Henry slowly stood up and made his way over next to Ray. 

“That’s-” Ray started. 

“Us,” Henry finished. The two men stared at the screen for a minute longer before they both turned to Veronica. 

“Okay, so, how do we fix this? How do we get back to this timeline? What do we do?” Henry asked. 

“I’m going to have to send you both back to 1989. You have to make sure that the younger Ray goes through the desensitizer. But, Henry, you have to be the one who gets the younger Ray to go through the desensitizer. Ray absolutely cannot interact with the younger version of himself under any circumstances,” Veronica emphasized. 

“What happens if I do?” Ray questioned. 

“Time could collapse in on itself and all of creation would cease to exist,” Veronica answered. 

“Awesome,” Ray said.

“Alright, cool. So, let’s not do that then,” Henry declared. 

“What about this Drex guy? What are Henry and I supposed to do with him?” 

“I’ll take care of him. The Time Masters have a special prison reserved for people who like to mess with the timeline like this on purpose.” 

“Okay...but what happens to this version of us once this all over? What becomes of this timeline?” Ray asked. Veronica remained silent for a moment. 

“Essentially... this timeline ceases to exist.” 

Ray and Henry exchanged somber looks. 

“So, my wife? My future child? They just cease to exist?” 

Veronica didn’t say anything and looked down at the floor. Ray began to shake his head. 

“No. I won’t do it,” he said. 

“Ray, you must! This isn’t the right timeline! It has to be restored!” Veronica pleaded. This was the first time since Ray and Henry had met Veronica that she had showed any type of emotion. She had remained stoic and matter-of-fact up until this point. 

“You’re asking me to essentially give up my family and my life! I’m not doing that!” Ray rebuked. 

“But, none of this is real! This isn’t the life you’re meant to lead, and you know that!” 

Henry watched Ray and Veronica argue without saying a word. 

“Ray,” Veronica began calmly, “You know this isn’t right. This isn’t what you’re meant to be doing. Haven’t you ever had a feeling deep down that you were meant for something more than this?” 

Ray uncrossed his arms and glanced down at the floor for a moment. 

“Take me back,” he snapped. 

“I’m sorry?” Veronica responded. 

“Take me back home. I won’t do what you’re asking me to do.” 

Veronica didn’t say anything further. 

“Ray,” Henry said finally, “I know that I don’t actually know you and we literally just met but please...think about this. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always felt deep down that this wasn’t right, that I was meant for more than this. If Veronica is right, if this is all true...then it looks like we have an opportunity to help people. Look outside! Look at Swellview! It’s run by mob bosses and criminals! This could give us the chance to actually make a change... and if we have that opportunity, shouldn't we take it?” 

Ray’s demeanor softened a bit, and he looked at Henry considering his words. He paced the floor for a moment, obviously meditating on what he should do. He stopped pacing and took out his phone, bringing up a picture of Aurora. He stared at it for a moment and then let out a heavy sigh. He turned to face Veronica and Henry. 

“Alright. Let’s do this,” he declared.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY, PART 3 IS FINALLY COMPLETE! First, I apologize for taking so long to get this to you guys. I got swamped with life and I hit a bit of writer’s block. I’m gonna be honest, I really hate this chapter. It feels super anticlimactic, but I’ve rewritten it three times and I can’t seem to find an ending that I do like. So, this will have to do. Also, I know that last part at the end is uber cheesy and cliche, but I’m a sucker for that stuff and I couldn’t help myself. Regardless, I hope you guys like this and please let me know what you think! Without further ado, here is the final installment of Back to the Danger!

Alright. Let’s do this. What’s the plan?” Ray declared. Veronica smiled. 

“I’m going to send you both back to 1989. Henry, you need to make sure that the younger Ray goes through the desensitizer. However, you cannot explain to him what’s going on or what it’s for. The less he knows about his future the better.” 

Henry nodded in acknowledgment. 

“Ray, you and I are going to try to take down Drex before he’s able to go through the desensitizer. I’m going to give these to both of you, but you are only advised to use them under extreme circumstances.” 

Veronica handed Ray and Henry what looked like two plastic green water guns. 

“What are they?” Henry asked. 

“It’s essentially like a raygun. Anything you shoot with it will pretty much be disintegrated on the spot.”

“Oh,” Ray said as he held the gun out away from himself, a concerned and surprised look on his face. 

“Alright, then,” Henry responded. 

“Are you ready?” Veronica asked. Ray and Henry both exchanged looks before nodding. 

“Alright. Let’s go,” Veronica said, and she pushed a few buttons on her watch and a portal opened up once more. Ray, Henry, and Veronica stepped through it and within moments they were transported into the hallway of Glass Tech Industries. Veronica pushed a few buttons on her watch and the portal closed just as quickly as it had opened. 

“Okay, Henry, you go find the younger Ray. Ray, you and I are going to wait for Drex.” 

Ray and Henry both shook their heads in agreement. Henry went off towards a lab where he heard an older man discussing something about a desensitizing machine. Ray and Veronica stayed behind and waited for Drex to arrive. 

Henry rounded a corner and found a doorway to a lab where an older gentleman in glasses and a lab coat was discussing a presentation and his machine to a younger man in a lab coat. A young boy in slacks and dark brown sweater vest was playing around with a skateboard in the corner. 

“ _ That must be the younger Ray. Now I just need to wait for these men to leave him alone so I can get him into the desensitizing machine, _ ” Henry thought to himself.

* * *

Back in the hallway, Ray and Veronica were waiting anxiously for Drex to arrive. Just a few moments later, a flash of blue light appeared and a broad man in a black long sleeve shirt, black pants, and a tattered tan vest appeared in the hallway with them. He had a wicked scowl on his face and his eyes scanned the hallway. He immediately began to seethe when his eyes locked onto Ray. Ray shot Veronica a confused and slightly alarmed look as Drex began to approach him. 

Despite the fact that Ray had never fought a day in his life, he still began to prepare himself to engage in one as Drex grew closer. He was shaking slightly and his palms felt sweaty; he was hoping this Drex guy didn’t notice. 

Drex grabbed Ray by the shirt collar and yanked him forward. 

“ _ You, _ ” he growled. Ray kept shooting Veronica “ _ help me! _ ” glances. She had seemed unfazed by Drex, and she pulled out a pair of green, glowing handcuffs from her jacket pocket.

“Drex, you are under arrest by order of the Time Masters for-” 

Drex let go of Ray and threw a punch at Veronica. Veronica stumbled backward slightly from the impact. Ray could see the fire in Veronica’s eyes as she straightened back up. Drex went to throw another punch, but Veronica dodged it. She grabbed Drex by the arm and twisted it until she was holding it behind his back. Drex let out a cry of pain. 

Drex then used his free arm to elbow Veronica in the stomach. Veronica felt a wave of nausea hit her from the pain, and she staggered backward and hit the wall. Ray moved forward to throw a punch at Drex, but Drex dodged it, and he immediately countered Ray’s attack, hitting Ray square in the jaw. Ray fell backward, more from the shock of the blow than anything else, as he heard a sudden ringing in his ears. As Ray tried to compose himself to stand up, Veronica lunged towards Drex again. Drex retaliated and pushed Veronica into the wall once again. This time she hit it pretty hard, and she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. Everything went dark as she slumped to the floor. Ray watched in terror for a moment as Drex began to approach him once again. Ray prepared himself as best he could for Drex’s hits. Drex threw another punch towards Ray, but Ray was able to dodge it this time. Ray delivered a blow square into Drex’s jaw. Drex could taste the blood in his mouth as the upper half of his body swayed ever so slightly from the blow.

\----------------

Meanwhile, back in the lab, the older gentleman in glasses had gone into another room, leaving the small boy on the skateboard alone. Henry was quickly trying to devise a plan to get the boy to go into the desensitizer machine. 

“ _ It’s not like I can just go to him and say ‘hey, tiny boy that I’ve never met before. Please go into this machine and get blasted by a bunch of...whatevers in order to become indestructible!’ _ ” Henry thought to himself. “ _ So, what do I do? _ ” 

Henry sighed in frustration. He needed to come up with something fast before anyone came back into the lab again. 

\---------------

Back in the hallway, Ray and Drex were still fighting, Ray now with a black eye and a cut lip, and Drex with a giant gash down his face. Ray could feel himself wearing thin, and he wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. His head felt like it was going to split open from where he was hit, and he was starting to feel sick and slightly dizzy. 

Drex aimed another punch at Ray, but Ray dodged it. Just then, Ray remembered the raygun Veronica had given him back at the Time Master’s headquarters. He knew she had said to only use it in an extreme emergency, but given the fact that she was passed out cold and Ray was sure he was about to lose this fight felt extreme enough. Ray reached behind him and pulled the raygun from where had stuck it in his belt. He aimed it towards Drex, and Drex suddenly froze, putting his hands up in surrender. Drex started to take a few slow steps back as Ray prepared himself to use the gun on Drex. 

Before Ray knew what was happening, Drex had grabbed the raygun out of Ray’s hands, had grabbed Ray’s arm and twisted it behind him and was now holding the raygun against Ray’s head. Ray tried to wriggle free from Drex’s grip but to no avail. He was too tired and Drex’s grip was too strong. 

“Let’s take a little trip to see your younger self, shall we?” Drex said menacingly. He pushed Ray forward as they started down the hall towards the lab. 

* * *

Henry had just gone inside the lab and was getting ready to grab the younger Ray when he heard footsteps approaching. As he turned, he saw future Ray and who he assumed was Drex. Drex had future Ray in his grasp with a raygun pointed at his head. 

“Step away from the desensitizer,” Drex growled. Henry raised his hands up in surrender as the younger Ray looked on in terror. 

“Who are you? And what’s going on? DADDY! DADDY, HELP!!” the younger Ray yelled shakily, tears brimming in his eyes. Drex turned the raygun towards the younger Ray.

“Shut him up!” Drex snapped. Henry turned towards the kid and placed his hand over his mouth. 

“Kid, please. You have to be quiet. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you,” Henry whispered as he instinctively stepped in front of him. He turned back towards Drex and tried to muster the most courageous expression he could. In reality, he was terrified. 

Henry quickly scrambled for a plan. He debated reaching for his own raygun, but he wasn’t sure if he would be fast enough, and he didn’t want to risk the lives of the other people in the room. Drex slowly made his way towards the desensitizer, keeping his grip on Ray. Ray continued to struggle to get free but to no avail. Drex made his way over to the desensitizers controls and pushed Ray into them. Hard. Ray groaned from the pain. Drex made sure to keep the raygun pointed at Ray while he stepped underneath the machine. 

“Turn it on,” he growled. Ray shot Henry a look before returning his gaze to Drex. 

“No,” he responded firmly. Drex gave him a furious look. 

“Do it, or I’ll pull this trigger!” Drex snarled. Ray stood with confidence despite the fact that he was scared beyond belief. He didn’t exactly want to leave his wife and future child like this, but if it was for the greater good than so be it. Ray braced himself for the raygun blast but Drex didn’t pull the trigger. Instead, he turned it towards Henry. Henry instinctively used his body to shield the younger Ray. The older Ray stepped forward a little, now visibly terrified. He didn’t really know this kid from Adam, but that didn't mean he wanted to see him get hurt. Or worse.

“Fine. If you won’t do it to save yourself, then what about him?” Drex snapped.

Ray looked at Henry and Henry shook his head no, signaling Ray not to turn on the machine. Even though Henry was trying to be brave, Ray could tell that the kid was scared. Ray was willing to sacrifice himself, but there was no way he was going to sacrifice an innocent kid.

He sighed in defeat and wrapped his hand around the lever to turn on the machine. 

Before they even realized what had happened, Drex was convulsing on the floor covered in a net that seemed to be giving Drex electric shocks, giving him the same effects as an electric taser.

Ray and Henry both looked towards the doorway to see where the net had come from, and standing in the doorway was Veronica, holding out a small handheld device that must have held the net. Ray and Henry both let out visible sighs of relief. It wasn’t until Henry heard tiny sobs from behind him that he remembered the younger Ray and the mission. He turned around to see the younger Ray’s face now covered in tears. Henry knelt down to his level. 

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe now. I’m Henry,” Henry said softly. The kid sniffled and backed away from Henry a little bit. 

“I’m Ray. Why are you here? Who was that man? I want my dad,” the young boy cried. Henry gently grabbed his shoulders. 

“I’m here to protect you. I’m actually a superhero. My name is Kid…” Henry tried desperately to remember his supposed superhero name he had learned back at the Time Master’s headquarters. “Kid Danger! I was sent here to protect you.” 

The young boy sniffled and it seemed that he was starting to calm down a little bit. 

“Don’t worry about that man. He can’t hurt you now. But, I need you to get inside that machine,” Henry continued. The younger boy immediately began to back away from Henry as he started to cry again.  

“No! I’m scared and I want my dad!” the boy wailed. Henry took a deep breath, thinking about his next words carefully. 

“Hey, do you like superheroes?” 

The younger Ray stopped crying for a moment and perked up a bit. 

“Yeah, why?” he asked shakily. A small smile spread across Henry’s lips. He knew he was about to break one of Veronica’s rules, but he figured if it got the job done it was worth it. 

“Because that machine,” Henry turned around for a moment to point towards the desensitizer, “gives people powers. It can turn you into real life superhero!” 

The kid looked at the machine and then to Henry, with a hint of doubt on his face.

“Really?” 

“Yep! You’ll be just like Superman!” 

Henry could see a bit of excitement in the kid’s eyes.  

“I’m still scared,” the kid said. Henry gently took his hand. 

“I protected you just then, didn’t I? I promise that I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I just need you to step under that machine, and then you can see your dad. I promise.” 

The younger boy looked at Henry thoughtfully, obviously contemplating his words. He wiped his nose on his sleeve. 

“Okay. I’ll do it,” he responded finally. Henry smiled as he straightened back up. As he turned back around he saw that the older Ray and Veronica had removed the net from Drex, and Veronica now had Drex handcuffed at her side. Henry led the small boy over to the machine and the kid took a deep breath before stepping underneath it. Henry joined the older Ray by the controls and looked at the younger Ray. 

“Ready?” he asked. The young boy looked terrified, but he nodded. The older Ray grabbed the lever and pulled. Ray, Henry, and Veronica heard an older gentleman yelling in the next room. 

“C’mon, that’s your dad! We gotta go!” Veronica shouted, and she led the older Ray, Henry, and Drex out of the room. 

* * *

 

Back in the hallway, Ray and Henry handed her back their rayguns. Veronica smiled at them both. 

“You did it. Your mission is complete!” she said. 

“Okay...so now what?” Henry asked. Veronica turned towards Drex. 

“Well, I’m taking this guy back to the Time Master’s headquarters. We’ll see what punishment the other Time Master’s have devised over his ploy to alter the timeline.” Veronica responded.  Henry and Ray shot each other slightly confused glances.

“Okay, but what about us? What happens to us now?” Ray questioned. Suddenly, the floor of the hallway began to shake, as if they were experiencing an earthquake. Veronica just smirked as she started pushing buttons on her watch. 

“Nice work, boys,” she said. Just as she finished her sentence, there was a flash of white light and everything around them went black. 

* * *

 

Henry slowly began to open his eyes, his head throbbing. Once his eyes were able to focus, he noticed that Jasper and Charlotte were standing over him worriedly. 

“Hen, are you okay?” Jasper asked, concern dripping from his voice. Henry sat up and groaned. 

“Where am I?” he croaked. Jasper and Charlotte exchanged anxious glances. 

“Uhh, the Man Cave…” Charlotte answered. “Schwoz brought you guys back from 1989 and you immediately passed out.” 

Henry’s eyes widened and he grabbed Charlotte by the shoulders. Charlotte flinched in surprise. 

“What did you say?!” Henry asked excitedly. 

“You’re in the Man Cave?” Charlotte responded, now clearly confused. A huge smile spread across his face. He remembered everything; Captain Man, Kid Danger, the Man Cave, Junk n’ Stuff, the Time Masters, taking down Drex - all of it. 

“Oh, Schwoz! Get out of my face!” Ray growled as he sat up. He grabbed his head, clearly feeling the same throbbing pain Henry had felt just moments ago. As Ray came to, he started to remember everything as well. He shot Henry an excited glance. 

“We did it!” he exclaimed. 

“We did it!” Henry shouted back. Ray and Henry scrambled to their feet and exchanged a high-five. Jasper, Charlotte, and Schwoz looked on excitedly. 

“Wait, you did it? Does that mean you defeated Drex?” Charlotte inquired. Henry and Ray exchanged looks, clearly debating whether they should tell everyone the whole story. They both silently decided to just keep the whole Time Masters thing to themselves. 

“Yeah! We took down Drex and my younger self went through the desensitizer. Everything’s good,” Ray explained as he winked at Henry. They all joined in a group hug. After they broke off the group hug, Henry turned to face Charlotte and Jasper. He placed one hand on each of their shoulders and smiled. 

“Hey guys….I’m really  _ really _ glad we’re friends,” Henry declared, and he pulled his friends into an affectionate hug. Jasper and Charlotte gave each other puzzled looks and chuckled. Henry let go and just smiled at his friends. 

“We love you too, dude,” Jasper said, still clearly confused but loving the attention nonetheless. “Yeah, we’re happy you’re home,” Charlotte remarked. Henry pulled them into another embrace. Charlotte and Jasper both shrugged at each other but decided to just roll with it. 

* * *

 

After everyone had left for the night, Henry found Ray sitting on the steps leading up to the tubes, a root beer in his hand. He was clearly lost in thought as Henry sat down next to him. They remained in comfortable silence for a moment. 

“Hey, Ray?” Henry said softly. Ray looked up at Henry. Henry had a solemn look plastered across his face. 

“Yeah, kid?” Ray asked, now slightly concerned. 

“I don’t know how to say this, but...I’m really sorry. For everything. I mean, your family…..” Henry trailed off. Ray looked down at the floor for a moment and remained silent. Henry wasn’t sure what to do next. How exactly do you console someone who just had to essentially give up everything? 

Finally, Ray smiled. 

“I’m not,” he replied, looking up at Henry. Henry met his gaze and furrowed his eyebrows.

“But, your family?”

“Is right here.” 

A small smile spread across Henry’s face. 

“Come here, kid,” Ray said playfully. He put his arm around Henry’s shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. Sure, he didn’t have the wife and the boring desk job and the white picket fence; but everything he needed? Everything he wanted? Was right there in that Man Cave, and that made it all worth it.  


End file.
